Varun Chakravarthy. (Source – Jio Cinema)
Varun Chakaravarthy had a fabulous run in the Rainbow Nation as he finished as the highest wicket-taker in the four-match T20I series between India and South Africa. After the fourth T20I at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday, November 15, the mystery spinner shared his thoughts on his contribution and the challenges faced during the series in the post-match presentation.
The 33-year-old admitted that the conditions in the last two T20Is in Centurion and Johannesburg weren’t ideal for spinners due to the shorter boundaries. However, Chakaravarthy felt that India’s move to go in with three spinners in the series worked wonders.
“The last two matches have been challenging because of the small boundaries. Even though a few sixes were hit, one mis-shot could get us a wicket. We went with three spinners in the series, and it worked for us,” Chakaravarthy said in the post-match presentation.
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He highlighted his partnership with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, which played a crucial role in India’s success, adding, “Me and Bishnoi set up a partnership and it worked.”
The best approach was to stay away from the arc: Varun Chakaravarthy
Chakaravarthy spoke about his plans to counter the South African batters with shorter boundaries making his task all the more challenging. The Tamil Nadu spinner said that he tried to stay away from the hitting zone of the batters and bowled some short balls which paid dividends.
“The best approach was to stay away from the arc, and I bowled a few short balls, which actually worked for me as well,” Chakaravarthy explained.
Coming to the fourth T20I, India amassed 283/1 after Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bat first. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma notched up exhilarating tons to help the tourists register the mammoth first innings total. In reply, South Africa were bowled out for 148 in 18.2 overs as Arshdeep Singh stood out with a three-for. The stunning 135-run victory helped India bag the four-match series by a 3-1 margin.